Ray L Hilliard
MilitaryOn January 3, 1943 B-24D 41-23371 while serving as Pilot, the aircraft crashed near crossroads south of Puncheston returning from target U/B yards (submarine) at St. Nazaire, France. Fuel shortage caused the crash. Pilot Hilliard was injured and hospitalized until January 7. Copilot Canfield was killed and the only fatality. AIrcraft was too damaged to repair and was salvaged.
On 17-May-43 while serving as pilot on B-24D 42-40130 "Avenger II" the aircraft developed engine trouble while on a mission to bomb the port area and U-Boat pens at Bordeaux, France. He made a forced landing at Lugo-de-Llanera airfield at Asturias, Spain and the entire crew was interned. They were taken to Gibraltar and returned to England on 8-Aug-43.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 17 May 1943
- Date: 3 January 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Pathway
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Returned to Duty (RTD) |
Puncheston, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire SA62, UK | 3 January 1943 - 7 January 1943 | Injured when aircraft made a crash-landing near Puncheston, Pembrokeshire when it ran out of fuel on return from a mission to St. Nazaire, France. He remained in hospital until 7-Jan-43 |
|
Other Interned |
Asturias, Spain | 17 May 1943 - 8 August 1943 | Aircraft B-24D 42-40130 had engine trouble and made a forced landing at Lugo-de-Llanera airfield at Asturias, Spain. He was interned but was taken to Gibraltar and returned to England on 8-Aug-43. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 2-Feb-2015. Added Interned event and details of the event to the Biography by correlation of data derived from "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.
Lee Cunningham 1-Feb-2105. Added Map location to RTD event and salvage disposition of aircraft to Description.
Lee Cunningham 1-Feb-43. Added RTD event and edited Biography per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE; Made connections to Place, Aircraft and Mission within existing website data.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Losses of the 8th and 9th Air Forces Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey p. 61, MACR 3301, 44th BG Roll of Honor and Casualties by Lundy p. 38, The 44th BG in WWII by MacKay and Adams p.27